Seven and Deadly
by LolliliciousLolly
Summary: Behind one of the doors lurked something that Suze wasn't expecting. Something that turned her and six others into reflections of the Seven Deadly Sins... Lust, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, envy... and pride. They're destructive, unstoppable... [HIATUS]
1. Genesis

Um, me. I'm going to try and write another one. I'm writing too much, I think, but I don't want to forget this idea. I got it while driving with my mum. It's Post-Haunted, and it's a bit out there. But bear with me. I don't know how it's going to end yet, but we will see. Please review! It's probably going to be very confusing for me to write this, because I am so used to creating Paul and Jesse swaps, but root for me!  
  
Love Lolly.  
  
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Once again, I was trapped up there.  
  
In the Shadow World. It had been a while since I'd been engulfed by the spine-tingling fog, felt the impact of the isolation, the chill of the cold, distant stars above me that had no relation to where I came from. No ghosts were ever here when I came. It was always only me . . .  
  
And sometimes Paul.  
  
It was better to be alone up here. Nobody could hurt me.  
  
Paul was not up here tonight. I was glad. The effect his presence had on me was crashing. It tore me into the two sides of me. My integrity, and my darkness. The angel and the devil that dwelt within my sinning heart. I knew what I felt was wrong. The way I looked at him, when Jesse was absent, and secret thoughts I had about him in the privacy of my own malicious mind, all combined to reveal to me that Paul wasn't just someone I could forget.  
  
I'd never told Jesse about the kiss. The kiss between Paul and I, on his bed. It was something I was too ashamed of. I'd finally weaseled the truth out of Jesse, that he loved me as much as I loved him, and then these feelings started! These dirty concepts, these maddening beliefs, the knowledge that I was betraying Jesse. It was killing me. I lived in Limbo.  
  
The shifter lessons with Paul had not begun. Part of me wished that they never would, and the other part craved time alone with him. What I desired of that time, even I wasn't bold enough to imagine.  
  
God, I need a Mentos.  
  
I ambled on down the dark hall, my footsteps echoing with raw clarity of the glassy floor, yet dulled ever so slightly by the bitter miasma. I clutched my bare arms tightly, but it did no good. I still felt as if I was in a freezer. I was wearing this dress. It was pretty. Light blue, and very elegant. It hung from my hips beautifully, swirling at my legs. I'd just been to the movies with Adam and CeeCee, and had been too tired to change into my pajamas. The doors on either side of me continued for eternity. I passed about a hundred every night. I wondered, was there ever an end to this corridor? Was it an illusion? Did it only seem to go on forever? If so, then where was the Gatekeeper? Behind one of them?  
  
So many questions, no one to answer.  
  
On and on . . . this road never ended. Did it symbolize something? If so, what? My love for Jesse? My pain? God forbid, my life? Because I didn't want to live forever. Not if I was going to feel like this all the time. Feel like two people, torn between two men.  
  
On one hand, Jesse was the zenith of all that was good. He was like an archangel, or something. Incarnation of purity, goodness, love . . .  
  
Then on the other hand, there was Paul.  
  
A temptation himself, he epitomized evil. Attractions, seduction, sin . . . The devil's advocate. Luring me to my fate. A fate I knew would not end simply with sunshine and daisies.  
  
So once again, it was another illustration of the eternal battle between good and evil. But I knew that either could triumph over the other. Over all.  
  
Winning? What was there to win? What was the prize? What motivated them to continue this incessant, fruitless struggle?  
  
So many questions, no one to answer.  
  
Oh, for God's sake!  
  
Why could I never wake up from these dreams?! God, no! They were nightmares! They were prisons in my own psyche, driving me eventually to insanity! Is that what they wanted? For an innocent little sixteen year old gal like myself to go completely screwy? Well, they were frigging doing a GREAT JOB.  
  
I felt my knees buckle from beneath me, and I sank to the cold glassy floor, in front of a very large door. This was wrong. Why was this happening to me? What did I do wrong? These feelings for Paul, they weren't my punishment. They were a symptom. They had to be. And it only made it worse that I finally knew that Jesse was in love with me.  
  
Don't get me wrong. I was deeply in love with him. My heart sang each morning to the bliss that I felt. I talked more, looked better, danced around a lot, heck, I was even nicer to people.  
  
That was before Paul came back from his suspension, his nose infuriatingly healthy again, and his whole physique looking darkly attractive in his cool black ensemble that Monday morning. Black jeans hugged to his tall legs, fitting him perfectly and accentuating his height and . . . oh, okay, his great butt. Not that I was looking! Kelly Prescott told me everything, I swear!  
  
Well, maybe not so much.  
  
But can you blame me? My eyes were like, magnetized to him! Yeah, not just his butt. He was tall, and his hair was extra curly and brown and delectable . . . And that top he was wearing that day, all close fitting and stuff, you could tell he knew that he was pretty. A womanizer, it would have appeared. He knew how to handle himself.  
  
Just apparently, not with me.  
  
And have any of you seen "Secret Window" with Johnny Depp in it? Well, you know when Amy was running around Mort's house, seeing the word "Shooter" everywhere, and then stops when Mort pushes the door away from him? THERE! RIGHT THERE! With his head down, the hat shadowing his eyes, and his eyes all evil and glaring and possessed and evil and – did I say evil? Oh yeah, twice . . . But there! That's how Paul looked at me the very moment his eyes fell on me on that Monday morning, at eight o'clock. That moment froze me, and everything I thought I knew. It thrust Jesse into the shadows. It eclipsed all of the ghosts I had to deal with, and had ever dealt with in my time. Only Paul and I existed . . . Horrible. It was like a curse being cast on me, on my heart, mind and body. Because from that moment on, I craved him. His presence, his attention, his love . . . It was dark, and wrong, and evil, but my skin tingled when his name was mentioned. I didn't know what had happened to me. When he touched me, my nervous system seemed to explode in protest.  
  
And I knew, because he'd been touching me a lot lately.  
  
No, don't go THAT far. It had all been PG, just, it was very scary for me. I was starting to fall into the darkness inside myself.  
  
Fall FOR the darkness.  
  
Oh, God help me . . . I didn't want it, but I DID. It was a thirst that could not be quenched. Except by one thing, a thing that I refused to bow down to.  
  
I was Susannah Simon. I would not sink that low.  
  
Then why did I feel like I was being pulled down? Drowned by desire?  
  
A susurrus was accruing around me, deadly whispers intruding my ears, luring me further into the coldness. I yelled aloud. 'Stop it!'  
  
I ran down the hall, trying to leave my aphrodisia behind me. But it clung to me with relentless claws. My feet pounded heavily on the glass. I was breathing fast, heavily . . . It was horrifying. Why did I feel this way? Was it dark magic?  
  
WHY?!  
  
I needed to elude this feeling. It slashed away at my remaining dignity, digging ever closer to my breaking point, my threshold of endurance.  
  
I was dangerously close as it was.  
  
Running, fleeing. It seemed all I ever did was run away nowadays.  
  
BANG.  
  
I collided with something. Something warm, a refreshing difference in this world of dark winter.  
  
'Hello Suze,' Paul whispered down at me, holding my shoulders with spider- like hands.  
  
I looked up at him fearfully, panting. He vilified me, gazing down in my eyes. He was so tall . . . too tall for me comfort. It gave him an ill- deserved eminence. Gasping, I jerked away from him, and only fell on my butt, staring up at him with wide, afraid eyes.  
  
Eyes of a child.  
  
'What are you doing here?' I wheezed. Running so fast and stopping so suddenly hurt my chest. I tried to keep my breathing quiet, but it was refusing to cooperate.  
  
Paul . . . mysterious, statuesque, possessive of control . . . he leered at me. He recognized the fear. He didn't know how scared I was, though. He had no idea. Never, had I felt fear like this. It was only after he kissed me that I began to identify the danger that I was in. Paul was a perilous guy. Not the dude you would want to bring home for dinner to woo your mum.  
  
'I'm here because I can be,' he said simply, leaning over me slightly. 'Suze . . . I suggest you run.'  
  
You didn't have to tell me twice! I scrambled to my feet, bolting down the corridor like the last spaghetti strapped black nylon dress on sale was there. Well, this situation was a wee bit more insidious. I felt like there was a pernicious poison pumping in my blood. I had to run. Had to get away.  
  
I turned my head and saw Paul running after me. Dense mist curled around him menacingly. He looked like an embodied shadow. My God, he was so fast! I screamed, and kept going. My hair whipped my face. Where did this wind come from? It was driving me back! I knew in my mind that it was pointless, but I NEVER gave up. I was too stubborn to give up.  
  
Give in to the attraction.  
  
'You can keep running, Suze. You can't hide here. There's no where to go.'  
  
His voice came as a grim divination. He was right. He was always right. Always one step ahead of me. I twisted my head –  
  
But he was gone.  
  
What? Where did he go? Did he give up? Did he shift back? Or was it just my nightmare going all weird on me, as nightmares do. Shrugging, I turned back –  
  
'Thought I'd leave?'  
  
I tried to yell, but his hand shot over my mouth, and he pressed me hand against one of the doors. Sandwiching me there. I felt winded. I needed air, and he was crushing my chest, stopping my breathing.  
  
He cocked his head, staring down at me with mirth. Amusement. He thought this was funny. Oh, am I just America's Funniest Home Videos to him? Great. JUST spiffing.  
  
He looked so dangerous, from the angle his head was tilted at. Superior, yet you're-gonna-die-ha-ha kind of angle. His lips were twitched upward in a typical smirk, but this one scared me shitless. My palms were wet, and a cold sweat was reflecting on my forehead. His eyes, they were fur-eaky. Dark, stormy . . . yet so pale.  
  
'Try running now,' he goaded. 'Go on. See if you can.'  
  
I thrashed obediently to the best of my ability in my current predicament, but I saw him strain to keep me trapped. I couldn't get away.  
  
My heart was beating like crazy . . .  
  
'Thought so . . . ' he whispered cunningly into my ear, his lips beside my face. I could feel his muscular stomach against me.  
  
This was NOT FAIR!  
  
But when he tried to kiss me, the tables turned. The instant his lips brushed mine, he was blasted back with a force that came from deep within me. I didn't even know what it was. But hey, in dreams, anything could happen.  
  
But this wasn't a dream. I knew that.  
  
Something told me that this was horribly real.  
  
Paul collided with the door opposite me, and fell on his stomach. I too fell back with a squeal.  
  
Paul's hand snaked out, and he seized my ankle. With a yelp, I reacted the only way I thought possible at that single moment, which, looking back, was incredibly stupid.  
  
I grabbed the handle of the door behind me, and with a flash, I disappeared.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
I might even get the next chapter up today. I'll see how I go . . .  
  
Lolly. 


	2. Tempting Eve

In response to Sara (vamp_chick) . . . writing evil Paul is just what I do! I love it. I can't see him any other way. Although I particularly like Nice Hayley's latest story. If you want less evil Paul, but still very practical, go there. Its FAB.  
  
Oh, come on Hayley. Stop blushing. It's a GREAT fic.  
  
Well, I think so.  
  
Stop staring at me . . .  
  
This chapter is farfetched. But, I like it because of that. Please read and review?  
  
**************************************************************************** *************  
  
It was a horrible thing to do! God, opening a door in the Shadowland? What was I THINKING?! Well, I knew precisely what was parading through the old noggin . . . but that's not the point! Just to think, if I hadn't have done that, gone through, none of this would have even happened . . .  
  
But who knew what Paul would have done to me, if I had have stayed.  
  
Oh, oogies . . .  
  
The moment the door opened a millimeter, there was a blinding white light, and I literally felt myself disintegrate. Not such a hot feeling. It was like I was a cookie, grinding.  
  
And that's the way the cookie crumbles, my friends.  
  
But I am so serious! It was the single most scary moment of my life. I was so like, "Oh my God . . . that wasn't your brightest idea, Suze. Well, heaven? Suze Simon is moving in." Call me naïve but I'm probably going to end up there, rather than hell. I mean, I'm like, a saint or something.  
  
The canonizing is yet to come.  
  
Oh God! I SO get off track! But after the flash, and the horrible feeling of corrosion, I opened my eyes, and the weird sensation stopped. My heart's pounding slowed down to what would be considered normal human activity, and my breathing became even again. I stared around, with confusion surfacing on my face. This was weird . . .  
  
I was in a very strange chamber. It was small, compact, you know? Well, not really, in the middle was a pedestal, with a bowl of hot red fire. The flames reflected on the four walls that surrounded me. The whole space was black, save these dim read shadows. It was the only light there.  
  
I felt very hot. And not in the good way. Just, muggy. Like I was overheating. My forehead was now glistening with beads of sweat, and droplets had formed on my upper lip. I licked my lips, and tasted the familiar saltiness in my mouth. The crackling of the fire was all I could hear. That and my steady breathing. I had to get out of here . . . This was weird. I didn't know where I was. And there was NO DOOR.  
  
Feeling sufficiently freaked now, I stood up gingerly, and wandered over to the basin of inferno. The flames danced and licked up towards the roof, yet there was no smoke to be seen, nor steam. Just hot red fire . . .  
  
My head felt slightly overwhelmed with the heat, like I would pass out. It was very unpleasant. I wiped my forehead slothfully, and breathed out. Great. Nothing but a tub of fire, and a dark room. What? When all the oxygen burnt out, was I just going to die? I mean, with the fire in here, it would go quicker. What was the deal with this?  
  
But it was about then that I felt a very strange magnetism . . . like the twisting, curling flames were hypnotizing me. Something within myself, my very skin, was urging me to simply star at the scorching, roaring element before me. The sizzling radiance hurt my eyes, but I had to keep looking.  
  
Red . . . hot . . . burning . . .  
  
The milieu went very fuzzy. The heat was too much. Was this hell? No . . . even hell could have afforded a bigger venue, right? And where were all the damned souls? What, had I been sentenced to an eternity of solitude, because of my diabolical thoughts? Great . . . just great . . .  
  
But the first would not release me from its mysterious spell.  
  
Hey! What was that?!  
  
I glared into the very heart of the fire, and to my alarm, I saw something there, hovering at the core! It was a ball or something! Round, and darkly shadowed in the midst of the blaze besieging it.  
  
Again, my recklessness defeated me, and not thinking, I plunged my hand into the fire to grab the orb-like object.  
  
Did it burn? Did it char? Did my skin blacken and crack?  
  
No . . .  
  
I didn't understand it. I cried out, but it wasn't a true cry. I had been preparing for the pain. A pain that never came.  
  
But no, the very second my finger made contact with the blaze, the whole thing suddenly turned a deep plum blue! It cast immediate indigo shadows on the surrounding walls. And get this – the fire? Ha, not anymore. Nope, it transformed into a sphere of water!  
  
It was beautiful liquid. It seemed thicker than water. It had a purplish tint to it, among the divine dark blueness. The shadows on the walls were moving in a very fluid way, like the bottom of a swimming pool, with all the reflections, and the ever-moving shapes? Like that. I sighed breathily. It really was gorgeous. Artfully so. It was pleasantly cool on my wrist, which was still in the very center, clutching –  
  
. . .  
  
An apple?!  
  
I must have had a really weird look on my face, because it felt embarrassing. Jeez, all that for a stingy little apple? What the hell?  
  
I withdrew my hand, pulling the apple through its glistening liquid barrier, but sadly, the whole orb collapsed to the floor with a huge splash! The water sizzled bizarrely, steam arising, and then melted into the bricks.  
  
I stared. My God, this was weird . . .  
  
I rolled my eyes. The Shadowland was obviously a big supporter of the "Eat your fruit and vegies" policy, weren't they? I mean, they had a very good introduction to the apple thing here, didn't they?  
  
Golden Delicious Apples, proudly sponsored by Purgatory Inc.  
  
Joy . . .  
  
But, this apple. It wasn't golden, or green.  
  
It was blood red.  
  
I gasped. You know how it feels when you find, like, the perfect apple? You kind of feel like Snow White, don't you, when the Witch was offering her the poisoned apple? Well, I felt like than in a big way. Scanning it, I saw that it was the perfect example of Snow White's apple. It was like a crimson pearl, so perfect . . . Not a wrong shade anywhere. Its dark red exterior was almost intimidating. Oooh, it looked so good to eat. But, something told me that I couldn't. Eat it I mean. Like, it was wrong. Yeah, I dunno! It was just a feeling, okay? Or a conspiracy . . .  
  
I continued to stare, when out of nowhere – I am SERIOUS! – a SNAKE slithered up my arm!  
  
I screamed and dropped the apple, shaking my arm furiously, and the snake fell to the floor. I gasped. It hissed at me furiously, its eyes fixed on mine.  
  
I went dead still. It was poised to strike at any moment. To kill.  
  
But something weird had happened. When I had dropped the apple, it had not fallen. No, it had stayed when I had let go of it, hovering in the air, still as anything. As if it were on a tree, or something. It had this weird, dull red glow to it.  
  
This was now getting VERY weird.  
  
Yay. Death by snake bite. No one would ever know.  
  
*Woman.*  
  
My heart thudded. What the?! Who just spoke? Despite the serpent – which was glaring fiercely at me, its tongue flickering in and out as to smell the air – I looked around furiously. I needed help! The snake was going to attack me, for God's sake!  
  
And who the hell called me "woman"? That was just gay.  
  
*Do not move, woman.*  
  
WHAT THE HELL?!  
  
I stopped my movement completely, staring worriedly at the snake. What if this voice commanded it to kill me or something? Was it venomous, or was it a python? Because, I did NOT want to be squeezed to death, NOR did I want to have poison surging through my veins.  
  
The odds were not at all good for little Susie.  
  
'Who is there?' I managed to cough out. 'Look, there's been a mistake. I'm not supposed to be here, I was running from this weird guy – who happens to be kind of hot – but you get that, and you wouldn't believe,' I laughed nervously in my babbling, 'I fell in this room! Isn't that a hoot? So, if I could just –'  
  
*Silence!*  
  
My voice cracked and died instantly.  
  
I waited edgily for this disembodied voice to continue, quietly. And entirely immobile – a statue.  
  
My heart rate again, increased. The oxygen was seriously running low now.  
  
*Eat the apple, Eve.*  
  
What? Eat the . . . what did it – he just call me?!  
  
'No,' I replied. 'I had dinner, chipolatas, very tangy, I'm okay for –'  
  
*Eat it. Why do you not wish to eat an apple so sweet? So succulent?*  
  
What the? This guy had ISSUES. He would also have made an extremely successful food salesman. I mean, he had that persuasive "You know you want to" voice, ya know? But that didn't make it any less scary. The snake slithered coolly closer to me. I twitched, but managed to stay moderately still under the distressing circumstances, ya know?  
  
YA KNOW?!  
  
'I . . . I really don't think I should,' I stuttered. 'It's probably not mine, you know?' I still tried moving away quietly from the snake, but no go. It struck like lightning, curving rapidly and sliding so it was right in front of my feet. And worse of all, with a sudden roar, the fire in the basin exploded into crackling life again, almost singing me from the eruption. Once again, the whole chamber was plunged into a dark malevolent red glow. I let out this really embarrassing squeal, squashing myself against the wall as hard as I could. I could feel my hands going numb from the pressure.  
  
*Eat the apple, Eve. It tastes even better than it looks. Trust me.*  
  
Yeah, as IF. How old was that line again? Um . . . I dunno, since forever?  
  
'I really don't –'  
  
*Are you refusing my generous offer, Eve? Do you know how rare apples such as these are to come across? This apple is the richest and sweetest in taste, melting on your tongue, making you crave more. It's juicy ripeness will beckon you.*  
  
The voice hissed demonically around me.  
  
I didn't want to listen, but . . . it was mesmerizing. And what was the harm? It was just an apple, right?  
  
Just an apple . . .  
  
The crimson fruit drifted amid a tongue of fire, till it was right in front of my face. I blinked. The apple was not charred in the slightest . . .  
  
*Go on, Eve. You will be astute when you do . . .*  
  
I sighed, and held out my hand. It felt as my body was a robot, obeying these coaxing orders. The apple fell into my hand, plump, smooth . . .  
  
Red as my own blood.  
  
'I can't,' I choked out, sounding very similar to Minnie Mouse. 'I'm like . . . an opposite to a vegetarian. I'm like – like a carnivore. Fruit? Not me. Fruit is healthy, and healthy is –'  
  
*EAT!*  
  
With that, the snake launched itself at me, coiling rapidly around my leg, slithering up my body, and around my neck! It was an impossible feat to do in three short seconds, but this was no ordinary reptile . . .  
  
The warm, scaly body tightened around my fragile neck. This was weird. It was like, it was venomous, and a python! Oh, great! I had to get the freakin' double-whammy, didn't I? That is so GREAT!  
  
Its tongue wavered in my ear, tickling my earlobe and making my body turn to lead. Right now . . . it could so easily sink its teeth into my vulnerable flesh! Like, argh! And poof! I was dead! This was WRONG!  
  
Feeling terrified for my life and my life alone, I raised the apple to before my face, and stared at it in horror. The snake hissed forbiddingly in my ear.  
  
*Bring it to your lips, Eve.*  
  
Hiss . . .  
  
E – Eve? Who was Eve? I was Susannah Simon . . . This wasn't meant to happen . . . Oh, I desperately wanted the apple, so sweet, but I knew it wasn't right. I wanted it very badly.  
  
*Eat the apple . . . who has commanded you not to? No one. It is what you desire. You desire perfection, Eve. Eat the apple. Slake this hunger you feel.*  
  
One bite? Just one . . .  
  
I brought the apple to my teeth, and with my front two, I pierced the thin skin of the fruit. Oh, the flavour was amazing! Cool juice filled my covetous mouth. Tropical taste teased me, and I bit a chunk out of it, hearing the textured body of the fruit break apart with the piece that I subtracted. I ground the single morsel with my molars, relish the pure sweetness, the divine bliss, the rapturous festivity on my tongue. I smiled dreamily, swallowing the bite.  
  
It felt terrible and wonderful at the same time . . .  
  
OH!  
  
The snake, with a break-neck movement, zipped down me as a horrible bubble grew within my gut. I sucked in sharply, and keeled forward.  
  
What had I done?!  
  
With a look of sheer horror on my face, I collapsed to the flaw, clawing that the bricks. The apple rolled away from me tenaciously, far away . . . My body was burning against the intense heat of the rocks beneath me. What was happening to me? Had this apple too, been poisoned? Where was this pain coming from?! Oh my GOD, why could it not stop?! It was like someone was trying to squash my stomach into a mouse's corset or something! I couldn't breathe!  
  
God, I COULDN'T BREATHE!  
  
. . . But then, it vanished. The pain, I mean.  
  
Panting breathlessly, and terrified, and sat up, leaning back heavily, as if my very life depended on the pressure I applied to the wall. I rolled my head against the bricks, globules of perspiration sliding past my temple. My whole face was horribly moist, and my nose was slippery when I touched it. Still gasping, I struggled to stand. The fire was raging on in a vivacious, spirited manner, still calling to me wanting to burn me.  
  
However, as soon as I was on my feet, an icy wind blasted at me, and I found that the chamber's wall was layered with a solid stratum of ice. Thick and freezing . . . the bowl and the fire had froze, the fire artfully carved into a jagged, ominous glacier. The apple, now bitten, was unaffected. The snake was no where to be seen . . .  
  
Glaring, I stumbled forward, and leant heavily on the edge of the basin, and to my bewildered incredulity, the iced fire was now a frosted metallic mirror.  
  
I gasped, and shivered horribly at the drastic climate change. Fog was pouring from my mouth with each heavy breath. My throat felt like it was already frozen. I stared into the mirror, wondering what it was I was supposed to see . . .  
  
I only saw me.  
  
But – no.  
  
That wasn't me. It couldn't have been me. No where had I seen such beautiful green eyes. Such perfect curly russet hair, glossy and gorgeous. I gasped again. But the face . . . the lips, they were mine. What was this mirror?!  
  
It showed me, but I was pretty. It couldn't have been . . . was it really me?  
  
*It is you, Eve. This mirror reveals to you the face that others see, not yourself. It shows the countenance that is paraded to others, and how they view you. You are beautiful here. This mirror shows the truth. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Eve.*  
  
I gasped for the millionth time, staring avidly at this reflection. Never had I seen myself in this way. I was . . . I was beautiful. Oh, my . . .  
  
Quivering madly from the cold, I clutched my arms tightly. This was me . . . this woman before me, blinking in shock, was me. My eyes, I never knew how green they were . . . It was breathtaking, this mirror.  
  
*Take the apple with you, Eve, and you may keep the mirror. It always shows the truth of what others see you as. Take the apple . . . *  
  
The voice was deep, demonic, evil . . . and yet I listened to every syllable religiously. This mirror, it was enchanted! He – the voice – was giving it to me! I could see myself like this whenever I wanted! Woot!  
  
'Yeah, okay,' I breathed huskily, staring in motionless amazement. I scooped down, and snatched up the blood red apple, and returned to the mirror. My complexion, it was so creamy! My lips were shaped like rosebuds. Hair fell softly and framed my pale face, and rosy smudges stained my cheeks charmingly. I'd never felt beautiful like this before. I'd never seen this side of me.  
  
I was LIKING this side of me . . .  
  
*Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Go now, Eve.*  
  
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I am officially buggered. So tired guys. Okay, very metaphoric chapter here. Wait for it, it DOES have a point! I promise. Okay, be nice and wonderful and review? Tell me critically what you thought. If you were confused, that's okay. It's supposed to confuse you at the moment. Nothing has really been revealed yet. Well, it has if you look for the clues. But please be nice, and give LONG reviews. I LOVE them.  
  
I love you!  
  
Regards, MystAngel. 


	3. Narcissistic

No, no, a lot of you were right on track! I told you that this was going to be a very symbolic/metaphoric story, infuriating as it may be to some. I'm just glad how well some people understood it. Serious, it you combine all the reviews I got from chapter 2, it basically spells it out for you. It is confusing, and those who were referring to the bible story . . . spot on.  
  
Symbolism is a pain to read, but it's so fun to write! Um, let me try and write a quick reply to some of the questions, non-symbolic, you'll be pleased to hear. I won't do everyone.  
  
# Luna: (I'm calling you that, I can't remember your other name!) Yeah, it is kinda ironic. Lol. I just love conflict, you love sunshine, don't ya? Well . . . maybe not, (remembers Siempre en mi Corazon.)  
  
# Brittany: I'm not too sure. I don't really think that Paul is the right person to fall in love with? But I dunno, no one told me that when I did. And I thought I hated him. (Lolly? The guy is FICTIONAL! Me: NEVER!!!!)  
  
# Devil at Heart: Kate? Now you see why I write the chapters? (squels for joy aahh eh) what IS that?!  
  
# Lady Queenscove: I know! I'm an so psyched! I HATE waiting!  
  
# Purtymanagirl58: Sorry . . . you got it dude. And for the first chapter review, nope, "lust" isn't Suze. I did that on purpose, hehehe, but it's not that. You have it though. And bad boys ARE so much more fun!  
  
# Rissa: Your theory is also pretty much right. You got it perfectly.  
  
# Alda Rethe: Ditto Rissa. And I didn't think of it that way, with the HP thing I mean. But I guess, maybe.  
  
# Kewine: Aw, poor Suze. Nah, she's still sane. Just. But yeah, I'm going to alternate between the three stories. (Including Katie's one.)  
  
# Nice Hayley: CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT TABOO MEANS?! Sorry . . . I loved your review. You understand me! And yeah, will power and Suze are ONE. Totally! Wouldn't it be nice if this was a movie? With all the fire and the snakes and stuff? *Coooool*  
  
Um, that's all I'll do for now.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
'Hey Suze.'  
  
CeeCee smiled at me as she leant on my locker door. I was carefully retrieving my History book. I gave her hand a very pointed stare, and with a funny look, she moved it from the locker door.  
  
'Sorry,' she said sarcastically.  
  
I just shot her a look, and walked away.  
  
'Oi! No ya don't, what's up with you?' CeeCee snapped, running after me and grabbing my elbow, her face accusing and hurt even. What did I care?  
  
I just looked at her, and said calmly, 'Get your hands off of me.'  
  
Her mouth fell open. 'Suze . . . what's going on? Why are you so-'  
  
'So what?' I asked with a mock dreamy smile plastered on my face. 'So perfect? So beautiful? So –'  
  
'Bitchy, actually,' she butted in. I glared. Just because she didn't have hair as nice as mine . . .  
  
'Piss off, CeeCee. Go prance about with the other rejects of the school,' I said snidely.  
  
Again, she looked punctured with hurt. Can you believe it, her eyes went a little wet? It was way funny.  
  
'Bite me,' I scoffed, and tossed me head as I walked away, down the hallway. People were giving me shy smiles, but I just shot them all "Dream on" glares. I mean, even these ninth graders were smiling at me. What was with that? Haven't they heard of hierarchy? I was the Vice President of the sophomore class. I had status. They, on the other hand, did not.  
  
I held my head high, walking with a modish sway. Man, did I feel good. I looked good too. I had long lace up slacks that flared around knee-high leather boots, which, unfortunately, I couldn't show off as much, and I had this totally cute black top that said "Drop and Gimme 20." My hair was blown to its full potential, and I just, you know, felt like I had general volume. Impact . . .  
  
I'd woken up, and that dream I had? Ha, no dream. It had been real as you or me. (A/N: Um, Suze? You're fictional.) And the souvenirs were way hot, too. That classic apple? The really red one? I was carrying that around with me, I didn't know why. I just got the urge to take it with me this morning. Strange, but totally true. The mirror, that metallic icy one, was at home. The ice, for some reason, refused to melt.  
  
Cool, huh?  
  
'Hey, Suze . . . '  
  
I spun around. Paul was leaning against one of the doors to a classroom. And remember those spasms of fear I used to get? Zilch. Nothing there. I couldn't believe it; I didn't feel scared. I mean, seriously, Paul was beneath me too. He chased me around like some pathetic puppy dog. He wasn't up there with me. Not worthy of my time, breath, or thoughts.  
  
That was how I felt.  
  
This totally rocked. What had that apple thing done to me? . . . I didn't no, but I was SO not complaining here. So, Paul's suspension was up. Damn. Now he could annoy the shit out of me again . . .  
  
I gave him a bored look, crossed my arms, and raised my eyebrows expectantly. 'What?'  
  
He blinked. 'Whoa, attitude much?'  
  
I tossed my hair, and slid my hands in my pockets coolly. 'You noticed. Oh, the joy is killing me.' I gave him a mock thrilled look, but settled back into the "and you're alive . . . because?" look.  
  
He grinned slightly, but looked a little confused. I could imagine what he was thinking. "What? She isn't scared of me? My life has no meaning. I'll go jump of a bridge now . . ."  
  
We can hope.  
  
My face twitched. 'Uh, well? I'm not going to just stand here all morning, Paul. I have better things to look at than your face, much as it may surprise you,' I said with a casual slur, running my tongue across my bottom lip.  
  
Now he seriously looked put out. His little "We scare because we care" approach wasn't panning out much. 'I . . .' he said, still looking very confused. But never fear. Our little idiot found his confidence, he did!  
  
He slid his hand down from the wall evocatively, and stepped toward me, his shoulders on a slanted angle.  
  
But I stood my ground, staring up at him as if it was better to watch paint dry.  
  
'I just wanted to remind you that we have a little shifting lesson,' he growled, backing me carefully against the wall, and placing a hand by either side of my head. I hugged my books to my chest. How dreary was this? I mean, come on. He had no right to be fraternizing with me. I was way out of his league.  
  
'Oh, about those shifting lessons,' I said, ' . . . Nah.'  
  
And promptly blew him a bubbling raspberry.  
  
I ducked out from beneath his arms, but Paul wasn't having any of it.  
  
'What the . . . ? Suze, I don't think you want to go back on your promise.' He grabbed my arm to impede my escape. His gaze was menacing.  
  
'You don't think, period,' I snapped. 'And excuse me, but that arm? It's mine. So get your paws off of it, you loser.'  
  
Wow. Now there was a guy who'd been cut.  
  
He shook his head at me. 'What's eating you?' he sneered, hiking up on shoulder.  
  
'Cannibals,' I shrugged, and again, went to walk away, but noooo. Our Paulie has no IQ, remember?  
  
He snatched up my wrist, causing all my textbooks to tumble from my arms. I rolled my eyes. Great. He wasted my time, and he dropped my stuff. But all the same, his grip was as iron as I remembered it to be from that kiss that occurred in his room. On his bed.  
  
Meant nothing to me anymore.  
  
I mean, really.  
  
He was so see-through.  
  
Not worth it.  
  
He shoved me into the classroom that we'd been lurking outside of, glaring. 'What the hell is up with you?' he snapped. 'Is this all about that stupid fight me and Jesse had? I mean, just because he hits like a girl, you don't have to take it out on –'  
  
'Shut up,' I retorted, and stormed to the door, but he blocked me cunningly, looking down at me with a dangerous, nasty glint in his eyes. I didn't like it.  
  
So it was time to teach him a lesson . . . He messed with my mind? Paul, meet your match.  
  
'Paul,' I said in the most innocent voice that I could muster, changing my demeanour drastically. I slackened my shoulders to look vulnerable, and widened my eyes to appear scared.  
  
Paul's evil twinkle flickered in his eye, and then died. 'Yeah?' he said, a grin coming to his face slowly.  
  
I smiled timidly up at him. 'Look, I know how you feel about me. I really do. And it's all getting too hard for me to keep up this act,' I babbled knowingly, 'I can't hide this anymore.' I stepped hastily so that I was right in front of him, looking up at his face with guilty eyes. His hands lifted and rested on my shoulders, in this totally quixotic way. He cocked his head, and I saw him physically swallow.  
  
'What?' he said impulsively, his grip on my shoulders getting tighter. I smiled, and rolled my hands up his chest, hand. His eyes danced eagerly. I stopped when they were at his shoulders, where I linked them behind his neck. Again, he swallowed.  
  
Ha, he thought I was, I dunno, taking advantage of him or something. This was soooooo funny.  
  
. . . Well, you had to be there.  
  
'Shhhh,' I said, bringing my lips very close to his ear, running my hands through his hair.  
  
'What?' he urged on, his hand slipping down to my butt.  
  
Achy-breaky, big mistakey.  
  
I sighed breathlessly, and smirked. 'That you're never gonna have me, loser.'  
  
That was when I kneed him.  
  
His eyes bulged so they were the side of bottle caps, and he slumped forward. I stepped back, admiring my work.  
  
God I'm good.  
  
Paul was swearing under his breath.  
  
'Oooh,' I said in sarcastic sympathy, 'No need for the blasphemy, Paul.'  
  
His head jerked up to look at me. He was seething! What fun!  
  
'What the HELL is wrong with you, Suze? Sorry, but this is so not you. Even you couldn't be this big a bitch.'  
  
I shrugged. 'And you couldn't be a bigger asshole. But if you think that this is as far as I can go, well, you're gonna need a bomb shelter if you wanna keep taking me on. Stay away from me. You are not worth the space that you take up on this sorry earth, Paul. Get a clue, and shoo.'  
  
Paul stood up gingerly, his knees meeting in pain. I snorted.  
  
'You're sad,' I said coolly.  
  
'Who died and made you narcissistic?' he snarled, leaning heavily against the door.  
  
And this was the guy who I used to be scared of? I used to think he posed as a threat to me?  
  
I really sucked then.  
  
I was a wuss.  
  
'If I told you, I'd have to kill you,' I flexed my arms. 'But that wouldn't be such a bad thing.'  
  
He shook his head at me. 'You've changed, Suze. People don't change overnight. What the hell is up?'  
  
I ignored him, and turned the doorknob, but his hand came to mine and aggressively plied my fingers away. Oh my God, was he serious?  
  
'I really didn't want to have to do this,' I shrugged. 'Hey, who am I kidding? This is something that, for a while, I've been DYING TO DO.'  
  
I positioned my hands defensively, and kicked his jaw with all my might. He was thrown back against one of the desks behind him, and flipped over it. I burst out laughing.  
  
'You SUCK!' I shouted condescendingly, pointing at him. And I left the classroom.  
  
But his yell stopped me.  
  
'Oh, what a beautiful apple I've found!'  
  
I went still, but then stamped back in. No . . . I couldn't lose my apple. Not that special one. What if this feeling didn't last? Would I lose it if I lost the apple? And the mirror, what about that? My special mirror! No, Paul would NOT touch my apple. My apple was mine!  
  
So Paul could kiss my –  
  
'Hey!' I screamed in panic. His mouth was poised to bite it! 'Get your own!'  
  
'How about . . . no,' he derided, and plunged his teeth into the blood red fruit, ripping a mouthful away.  
  
Instantly, I felt like I'd been shot in the stomach, like someone had just ripped out a vital organ. I spluttered, and sprawled over the ground. OW! THIS PAIN WAS MORE THAN I COULD BEAR! Paul had sunk to his knees too, and was gasping, holding his chest. The apple slipped from his hand and rolled away . . .  
  
And as suddenly as it had arrived, the pain stopped. Gone without a trace, like it had never been there. No repercussions, but the memory of how horrible it had been.  
  
Paul's head was bowed down. I could see his shoulders shuddering. Was he still feeling pain? I didn't care if he was. In fact, I did care. I wanted him to, the bastard.  
  
Random thoughts shot through my mind . . .  
  
Where had my fear of him gone?  
  
Would I lose this wonderful feeling of superiority?  
  
Where was a mirror?  
  
. . . But when he looked up, I sort of freaked. His eyes, they were like, glazed over with that Johnny Depp, Secret Window look again, but soooooo much worse. As in, past the nightmare, worse. Red, fiery, blazing.  
  
Shit.  
  
That was when the tiniest tremor of fear rippled through me. It wasn't dynamic, but I sure as hell remembered it.  
  
Seizing my apple, I bolted from the room, running all the way until I collided violently with Adam McTavish. I groaned inwardly. Not that dork . . .  
  
'Whoa, what? Who's giving away free hair-styling coupons?' he winced, rubbing his shoulder. I stared at him in a way that rivaled Kelly Prescott's.  
  
'Push off,' I said to him disdainfully. I smoothed my precious hair. If he'd buggered it up, he was going down . . .  
  
He stared at me in alarm. 'What? That time of the m-' he began, but noticed the apple in my hand.  
  
The perfect, crimson, bite-free apple.  
  
Huh? But Paul just –  
  
Only Adam pinched it from my grasp. My mouth opened with outrage, but before I could reclaim it, he was grinning like an idiot, saying, 'Wicked apple,' and tearing a sizeable chunk away.  
  
'Hell yum,' he sang out enthusiastically, returning for more, but with a lightning fast influx, the stabbing, intolerable pain invaded my body. I cried out loud, and fell against Adam, who was also wincing horribly, his face going VERY red. God, it KILLED! I shouted out, clenching my fists so hard that my nails penetrated my shin.  
  
And it left again . . .  
  
Wheezing, I slid to the floor, drained. Oh my God . . . was pain in that measure achievable? It was beyond the boundaries of suffering! Shit! I held my chest, panicking slightly.  
  
Adam was very pale all of a sudden. 'What was that?!' I didn't answer, because I didn't know. Hang on . . . he was talking to me?  
  
'God, Suze. Who are you trying to poison? I mean, I knew you weren't the best person to get on the wrong side of, but whoa. Little hostile?'  
  
'Adam,' I said, massaging my knuckles in the palm of my hand, 'you wanna see hostile? Because I do hostile real well.'  
  
He shrank back jokily. 'Don't hurt me,' he squeaked.  
  
I stopped. 'You're not worth my time, dude. Go . . . swat a fly or something. Your jokes are so lame,' I added, walking away coolly, the impossibly perfect apple back in my hand. And I kept walking, right off campus. Right home, to my bedroom . . .  
  
Where I staggered desperately inside, running before the enchanted mirror . . .  
  
I gazed longingly. The girl that stared back at me was perfect. Like this apple. There were no flaws there. Everything was so gorgeous, from my eyes, to my skin, to my cute little nose. I breathed very shallowly. I looked flushed, but in this wintry, windswept way. My hands were gripping the sides of my desk like my life depended on it, if my white, skin-stretched knuckles meant anything.  
  
This beauty before me was amazing . . . I had never seen myself like this in any other mirror. Mist surrounded my face. My reflection gazed back at me eloquently, with emerald irises that twinkled in the dim –  
  
'Susannah? Why are not at school?'  
  
Oh, great.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********  
  
And so, the curse being cast. It gets better, I promise!  
  
Please review? Please? *Puppy eyes.* PLE –  
  
Okay, enough.  
  
Hehehe . . . So tired. See? 1.10am for you people! Please appreciate my sacrifice of sleep, young ones! And REVIEW!!!!!  
  
Regards, MystAngel. 


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